The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-08-06
Grant Parish Gold.
Editor Co!far Chronicle;

Editor Coydr Chronicle:
Having studied the gold question of
our parish as no other person has, by first
examining very infinitely the general geo.
logical features, and then the minerolog-
ical prospects, I thought it might be of
interest, and may be of profit, to give your
many readers the results of my labors.
There is gold In abundance in the
parish. Two distinct earthquake erup-
tons are clearly marked, the veins of the
first running nearly due east and west.
and the veins of the second nearly due
north and south. The first occurred
while this part of our continent was low
down under the Gulf OF Mexico: and this
first one is the one that broke up the
rich gold and silver beds from below; but
this first one did not raise the land above
the sea water, and for considerable time
the documentary settings were filing up
the great chasms made by the earthquake,
consequently covering up the quartz veins
and mass beds. Clear evidences of this
exist In the rich quartz boulders, quartz
pebble, and quartz sand, on and near the
top of the ground. The second eruption
occurred at a later period, raising this
part of our continent above the sea level.
The veins of this eruption are north and
south nearly. The Ozark mountains were
probably the result and center of this
shock, and our hills are evidently the foot
hills of the Ozarks. This eruption again
broke up the gold and silver veins and
raised them to the top Of the ground, and,
had our soil been more clay and less sand,
our hills would have been much higher
now and our hollows much deeper, and
consequently there would have been much
more probability Of finding the gold and
silver veins and masses; but, as it is, the
sand and loose loan deposits have been
washing off the hills for centuries and
settling in the hollows, thus covering up
the veins and masses, which are seldom
more than half way up the hills or noun
tains, and nearly always about their bases.
! have not said there are no veins or
masses on or near the surface of the earth
here, for the reason that it is more than
probable there are. The quartz, pebble
| washed to the surface between the two
earthquake eruptions and settled in masses
| and beds, and are now on and near the
surface Of the earth. 1t is also very
probable that some of the quartz rock
and free gold veins are yet in sight, and,
it may be, many OF them are yet in reach
of the miners shovle and drill.
HOW AND WHERE 10 HUNT.
| Gold is always in its native or natural
state. have no confidence in the theory
of gold in solution in nature. 1t may be
so, but none has ever been obtained in
that way in sufficient quantities to put
eagles on, and that sort is all that will
pay for the hard work there is in getting
it. Free gold is nearly always on solid
bed OF rock OF clay, or on a crust Of sand
or pebble, or in stiff clay or earth, and
when thus found it can be washed out
pure and free, and may always be known
by its color and soft maleable nature.
Gold in quartz is in quartz sand, quartz
rock or pebble, or may be adhered to the
sand. The rock may be of any shade of
color, but will nearly always have dull
fiinty appearance. The quartz sand has
clear, CLASSY, yellow appearance; but all
yellow sand is not quartz, as it may be
stained pretty yellow by iron or red
clay. 1t takes the spectrum and expert
ence to distinguish between the two.
About springs and marshy places is a good
place to hunt for gold in mass or quartz,
as water usually runs out of the ground
off the top of solid clay or rock.
Silver is nearly always found in solu-
tiOu, c1tIltT ulfS5OtttQ LII qlStItZ TUCK OI
clay, and usually has q dark lead appear
anoe, but sometimes is in crystals, and
when thus found it has white muddy or
clear CLASSY appearance. To ascertain its
presence and quantity it must be tested
by chemical analysis.
have avoided the technical terms of
minerology and geology, as wanted
to be understood by your readers who
have not had the advantages of study in
these departments Of science, and because
I want the minerals found by some one
for the general good of the country.
am prepared to make as fine and cor
rect assays as can be made in New Or
leans or elsewhere, and from one-half to
two-thirds the price-one dollar and fifty
cents TO two dollars per test, according to
quantity tested. Send or bring your
samples to me at Montgomery, Grant
parish, La, and il they are not worth
analizing will tell you 80.
]. B. WOOD.
Jrlv o. TOO